Crown prosecutor Sam Teppett argued for Opetaia’s name to be published before his trial so that other potential complainants might come forward.

Many of the complainants were allegedly sexually abused by Opetaia over several weeks or months when he was working for CYFS – now Oranga Tamariki.

The Crown also initially charged Opetaia over physical violence allegations, including that one boy was assaulted with a bamboo stick. Those allegations have since been withdrawn.

Opetaia is also charged with three counts of threatening to kill and allegedly supplied some teens with methamphetamine and cannabis.

The ex-caregiver’s alleged offending stems from the mid-2000s and after an intensive police investigation, dubbed Operation Elephant, Opetaia was charged just before Christmas 2018.

Opetaia is best known for caring for Ashley before the 17-year-old was assaulted by George Baker while both were being transported to Auckland Central Remand Prison in 2006. Ashley died in hospital the next day.

The Auckland man who worked with at-risk youth as a boxing trainer, said after Ashley’s death that funding and support was often too quickly cut for troubled teens.

Youths in state care, Opetaia said, could become lost in the system, be sent to a dozen different homes, and often had little or no contact with their biological parents.

Also in 2006, Opetaia spoke of his sister’s death in 1966 after she suffered neglect, abuse and beatings when the siblings were placed in the care of friends.

And in 2008, he was quoted in a Herald article about state care abuse and said the onus fell on parents to ensure their children’s safety.

“If you are going to have kids you have to roll with all the punches,” Opetaia said.